Lazy Sunday

February 21, 2016

Waking up at 7:30 AM was refreshing, since the sun had just risen and it was actually light outside. Since it wasn’t stormy and you could even see blue sky, we opened the doors to the private balcony and soaked in the morning.Since the weather prediction was rainy and overcast, we saw the morning light as an opportunity to see the sights while it was actually nice out. By 8 AM, we were out the door on our way to the Kastellet and Den Lille Havfrue.Like many US cities, there are very few people on the streets just after sunrise on a cold winter Sunday morning. We walked past Rosenborg castle and along blocks lined with tall European-style wall-to-wall historic apartment buildings. Pretty much nothing was open, but the empty streets in Køpenhavn seemed beautifully dystopian.📷Rosenborg Castle 📷Heather looking spiffy After winding through many blocks of vacant cobblestone streets, we came upon the famed Kastellet – Køpenhavn’s star-shaped citadel. The nearby Churchillparken (Churchill Park) and layers of grassy green embankments highlighted the distinctive topography of the castle. In the morning light, the green stood out brightly and we took the opportunity to take an excessive number of pictures.📷Churchillparken 📷Inside the Kastellet Walking along the ramparts, we could see the far side of the canal lined with windmills and factory smokestacks. Several early morning joggers passed us as we took pictures of our surroundings in the morning’s golden light. Inside the castle we could see a historic windmill as well as a few colorful barracks.📷St. Albans Church 📷Atop the citadel 📷Cannons, barracks, and windmills – oh my! Once we were done being enamored by the view, we came down from the ramparts and exited on the far side of the Kastellet. Walking only a block or so towards the waterfront, we arrived at Den Lille Havfrue, The Little Mermaid. With the backdrop of the canal, factory smokestacks, and modern windmills, we openly became tourists and snapped several shots of the famed statue before heading south.📷Den Lille Havfrue (The Little Mermaid) 📷Being a tourist We walked along the waterfront until we reached Gefionspringvandet, Gefion Fountain. While it was not running since it was wintertime, it was still quite a remarkable fountain to look at. Adjacent to Gefionspringvandet, the bells in St Alban’s church rang for a couple of minutes.📷Gefionspringvandet (Gefion Fountain) 📷St. Alban’s Continuing south, we eventually came upon a Amalienborg, a large open plaza with the perimeter being patrolled by palace guards. To our right, the conspicuous dome of Frederik’s Church loomed in the background.📷Amalienborg with Frederik’s Church in background One thing I neglected to mention in the last two posts is the unique set of street crossing signals they use in Køpenhavn. Similar to the US, each intersection is equipped with a lit walk or don’t walk sign designating when it is safe to cross the street. However, in Køpenhavn, there is a walk sign for each segment of the street that you cross. Meaning, there may be multiple walk signs for crossing one street – each one timed slightly differently than the others. The first time we encountered this we were nearly run over since we were watching the walk sign for the second segment of the street instead of the first. We adapted quickly, but initially had no idea how precise the Danes were about how they crossed the street.After we came back to the flat, Heather burrowed into the covers to regain warmth while I made tea and started making a dent in the guacamole. With the temptation of avocado goodness, Heather eventually emerged from her bundle of blankets and joined me for lunch. We watched the stormy weather as we contentedly consumed the chips and guac.📷Guac happens 📷Relaxing After a couple hours of relaxing, we knew that between the miserable weather and the coziness of the flat, we weren’t going anywhere. We savored the rest of our Sunday indoors before packing our bags, thanking Elisabeth for her hospitality, and going to bed early – intentionally this time. Our walking route:📷How we stormed the Kastellet